TechNote 1

for version 1.18

Spacer Shaft Alignment

Introduction
The purpose of this technote is to provide a procedure to perform spacer shaft alignment using
the MASTERLIGN® shaft alignment system. An example of this application would be two
machines that are coupled with a long spacer shaft, like a gearbox and a fan in a cooling tower.
Overview
The basic idea is to perform the alignment by taking a “single shot” set of readings (i.e., bridging
across both couplings in a single setup as shown in Figure 1 below) and then change the laser
to coupling distances in the dimensions screen to get the offset conditions of the spacer shaft.
Procedure
A) SETUP
1) Set up the MASTERLIGN® bracket and laser on the stationary machine shaft or solid
coupling hub.
2) Set up the MASTERLIGN® bracket and prism on the movable machine shaft or solid
coupling hub.

Figure 1 – Sensor and Prism Mounted on the Machines

Masterlign® TechNote 1 Page 1 of 4

© 2002 Ludeca, Inc., 1425 N.W. 88th Avenue, Miami, FL 33172
tel: 305-591-8935 fax: 305-591-1537 e-mail: info@ludeca.com website: www.ludeca.com
 B) Turn on your MASTERLIGN® and enter dimensions according to the screen diagram shown
in Figure 2:

Figure 2

1. Laser to prism.
2. Laser to the near coupling center, closest to the stationary machine.
3. Working diameter (enter any value— not relevant in this application).
4. Laser to front foot.
5. Front foot to back foot.

Note: The above order of dimension entry assumes that your results default is set to display
coupling results at the first press of the results key (not foot corrections). If your MASTERLIGN®
is set to display foot corrections first, you may change the default with function F74, or simply

press the key twice at step D1 and once at step D5.

C) TAKE MEASUREMENTS

1) Press the key:

2) Take readings with your preferred measure mode (continuous sweep or static mode).
Use the F6 Range Extension function if necessary.
D) RESULTS

1) Press the key.

2) Record the vertical and horizontal offsets displayed in the coupling results screen.
These offsets will be for the coupling located closest to the stationary machine. Ignore
the angularities (gap results) as they will not be used for this application.

3) Press the key.

Masterlign® TechNote 1 Page 2 of 4

© 2002 Ludeca, Inc., 1425 N.W. 88th Avenue, Miami, FL 33172
tel: 305-591-8935 fax: 305-591-1537 e-mail: info@ludeca.com website: www.ludeca.com
 Figure 3
4) Change dimension 2 (laser to coupling center distance) to the distance from the laser to
the far coupling center, closest to the movable machine.

5) Now, press the key twice:

6) Record the new vertical and horizontal offsets that are displayed. These offsets will be
for the coupling located closest to the movable machine. Again, ignore the angularities
(gap results), as they will not be used for this application.
E) Understanding the results
You now have vertical and horizontal offset results for both couplings of the spacer shaft.
To check if you are in tolerance for the speed of operation, refer to the tolerance table and
equation below:

SPACER SHAFT TOLERANCES

RPM (mils of offset per inch of spacer length)
Excellent Acceptable
600 1.8 3.0
900 1.2 2.0
1200 0.9 1.5
1800 0.6 1.0
3600 0.3 0.5
7200 0.15 0.25

Maximum projected offset at either coupling = Tolerance value × Spacer Shaft Length
Example: A machine has a 3600 RPM operating speed. Therefore, the excellent tolerance
permits 0.3 mils of offsert per inch of spacer length. It has a spacer shaft length of 40
inches. The maximum permissible offset for an excellent alignment at either coupling would
be 0.3 mils/inch × 40 inches = ±12.0 mils at each coupling.
If your alignment results fall outside of your permissible tolerance, you must perform
alignment corrections by shimming and moving the movable machine.

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© 2002 Ludeca, Inc., 1425 N.W. 88th Avenue, Miami, FL 33172
tel: 305-591-8935 fax: 305-591-1537 e-mail: info@ludeca.com website: www.ludeca.com
 F) FOOT CORRECTIONS

1) To get correction results for the feet, press the key again. Press the right arrow
key or the enter key to toggle through the vertical and horizontal move corrections.
Note: Foot corrections will not be affected by the changes in Dimension 2.

Masterlign® TechNote 1 Page 4 of 4

© 2002 Ludeca, Inc., 1425 N.W. 88th Avenue, Miami, FL 33172
tel: 305-591-8935 fax: 305-591-1537 e-mail: info@ludeca.com website: www.ludeca.com